For 10 years Sandra Yent waited for one of Hamilton's subsidized housing units to become available.

"Now that I'm in, I want to get out," a weary Yent told about three dozen people who showed up Saturday at a tenants' issues conference held at the Central branch of the Hamilton Public Library.

She described a litany of problems she faces in her unit -- from repairs left undone, to a lack of heat and hot water, to the absence of a stove.

For some in the audience, whether they live in subsidized housing or not, Yent's situation echoed a familiar lament among tenants who feel their issues get shuffled to the sidelines.

Lack of awareness about the rights and concerns of tenants was a common theme that ran through the conference, which was organized by more than a half dozen Hamilton agencies including three legal assistance clinics.

"We get left on the back burner," said Yent. "Personally, I think it's because a lot of people don't like poor people. That's where the discrimination comes in."

Madhavi Reddy, co-ordinator of Hamilton's Tenant Education Project, encourages tenants to organize themselves into community associations wherever possible.

"I'm always struck by the feeling of powerlessness or helplessness that people feel," said Reddy.

"There's no one organization for tenants, yet landlords are very organized," she added. "They've got money and they've got connections."

During a panel discussion, one audience member suggested that since landlords are able to check up on prospective tenants, there should also be a publicly accessible registry of rental buildings that allows tenants to look at the track record of any infractions for bylaw standards or landlord-tenant problems.

That was one of three priorities recommended at the conclusion of the conference by those in attendance, which will be presented to the city by the organizers.

The two other top priorities were greater affordability of housing and better enforcement of property standards and bylaws.

With 113,000 tenants among its population, Hamilton has one of the highest renter-to-homeowner proportions in the province.

A recent city report showed that more than a third of Hamilton's rental households are spending more than 50 per cent of their income in rent.

"Tenants don't get a fair deal in Hamilton right now," said Tom Cooper, a member of Hamilton's Roundtable for Poverty Reduction and part of the Tenant Education Project. "Tenants' voices need to be heard."

Cooper said one constant battle he fights is reminding people that tenants are taxpayers too. Their share of property taxes is included in their rent, and they actually pay a higher proportion through the multi-residential tax rate than homeowners do.

"We need to remind councillors and other politicians that tenants do have a stake in the community and they do contribute," Cooper added.

After Yent outlined her concerns to the conference, she met with a City of Hamilton housing official who happened to be in the audience. He told her he'd look into her situation.

"But I've heard that before," Yent said.

"He said he'd get back to me and if he does, great, but I'm not holding my breath."

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